Lackluster incentives are the biggest factor causing poor engagement in wellness programs. For example, cash isn’t effective because there simply isn’t enough money available to be meaningful. Plus, it doesn’t (now) provide social support and has no long-lasting effect after it’s used…”

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“‘(O)ur business model of sending yoga teachers into companies and using whatever office space they have available. We have yet to find an office we cannot hold a class in.’

While the women had to completely revolutionize their thinking, they still have a very traditional belief in yoga’s power. ‘Although we’re providing a new method, we stay deeply rooted in the teachings…In each session, our clients learn pranayama (breath control to steady the mind), asana (physical postures to increase flexibility and reduce tension/tightness), and dharana (a form of meditation to cultivate single-pointed focus).'”

“The national health insurance brokerage market on which Parker Conrad set his sights is worth, by one estimate, $18 billion.

Zenefits didn’t set out to become a health insurance broker. Instead, Mr. Conrad found that the health care market could make for a lucrative business model. Zenefits produces web-based software for small businesses to manage their human resources operations. It gives companies that software free, but if they decide to buy health insurance for their workers through Zenefits’ software, Zenefits receives a substantial payment from insurance companies.

Investors praise the model for simplifying the process of managing employee benefits, and the legal requirements that come with them.

‘It’s the ultimate entrepreneur tool,’ said Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, which, with another venture capital firm, Institutional Venture Partners, invested $66.5 million in Zenefits this summer; that investment valued Zenefits at $500 million. ‘How do you deal with anything that is very complicated that you need to learn about to be in business? Are you really going to go learn about the Affordable Care Act? Probably not. Once you have Zenefits, that’s it. You’re compliant.’

Customers seem to agree. Zenefits signed up 2,000 small businesses that employ a combined 50,000 workers in just its first year of operation, the company says. Last December, 15 people worked for Zenefits; it now employs 220. Mr. Conrad expects that number to triple within a year.

Jules Maltz, a partner at I.V.P., said this of the company: ‘We’ve invested in 18 software-as-a-service companies, and these guys are in a different league. When you compare some of the largest cloud companies to where they were at this age, Zenefits is growing way faster.'”

What Was Once Profitable For Healthcare Providers Will Soon Be “Their” Financial Liability Too

“In the United States, the top 1% of high-cost patients consumes 28% of total health care costs, and the top 5% of high-cost patients consumes more than 50%. These patients are also the source of a substantial amount of revenue and contribution margin. As provider incentives move towards fixed payments, these high-utilizing patients will become the five-alarm fire: In the foreseeable future, what was once a profitable or breakeven proposition will become a significant financial liability.” – http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/tackling-the-hotspotter-patient-challenge/?socl=social_20140920_31981156